New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes Game 2 odds and predictions

The New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanescontinue their best-of-7 Eastern Conference semifinals series Friday in Game 2. Puck drop from PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (TNT). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Devils vs. Hurricanes odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.

The Hurricanes started Game 1 fast, and finished “Fast”, too, posting a 5-1 victory on home ice in the series opener.

Brett Pesce scored his 1st postseason goal midway through the 1st period, and Seth Jarvis notched an unassisted goal at 14:43, as Carolina took a 2-0 lead to the room.

In the 2nd period, Jesperi Kotkaniemi notched his 1st goal of the playoffs to make it 3-0 at just 1:55. Nathan Bastian gave the Devils hope with his 1st of the postseason, but that’s all New Jersey could muster. Brady Skjei had his 1st of the playoffs, and Jesper Fast scored into the empty net to put a bow on the scoring, much to the dismay of Under (5.5) bettors.

The Devils are used to this spot, as the New York Rangers dropped them 5-1 in Game 1 in Newark in the conference quarterfinals. After falling into an 0-2 hole, the Devils rallied, so expect New Jersey not to be terribly fazed despite the uneven result.

Devils at Hurricanes odds

BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 10:38 p.m. ET.

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Devils at Hurricanes projected goalies

Akira Schmid (9-5-2, 2.13 GAA, .922 SV%, 1 SO – regular season) vs. Frederik Andersen (21-11-1, 2.48 GAA, .903 SV%, 1 SO – regular season)

Devils coach Lindy Ruff has a big decision ahead of Game 2. He replaced Vitek Vanecek in Game 3 against the Rangers with Schmid, and the rookie saved his bacon in the 1st round.

However, Schmid coughed up 3 goals on 11 shots in Game 1, and he was yanked early in the 2nd period in favor of Vanecek. The latter allowed a single goal on 11 shots the rest of the way. Vanecek went 33-11-4 with a 2.45 GAA and .911 SV% with 3 SO in the regular season, and he could potentially be called upon in Game 2, or might get the call off the bench if Schmid struggles again.

Andersen had no such struggles in just his 2nd start of the postseason. “The Great Dane” kicked aside 17 of the 18 shots he faced, and he barely broke a sweat, while receiving plenty of offensive support. In 2 postseason starts, Andersen is 2-0 with a 0.91 GAA and .962 SV%.

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Devils at Hurricanes picks and predictions

Prediction

Hurricanes 3, Devils 2

The HURRICANES (-115) were well rested after polishing off the New York Islanders last Friday, getting 4 full days off to get well. It showed, as Carolina had plenty of speed, rolling to a wire-to-wire victory.

The Devils (-105) should be much better, and New Jersey showed some signs of life in a much better 2nd period. But it needs 60 full minutes to level this series, and Carolina is awfully tough at home.

The Devils +1.5 (-275) will cost more than 2 1/2 times your potential return, and that’s just not a recommended betting strategy. It didn’t come close to covering the puck line in Game 1, but it is 3-2 in 5 games as an underdog in the postseason. Still, it’s too expensive for not enough value.

PASS.

The UNDER 5.5 (-135) is worth a look, although it’s a good idea to go lightly, with a half-unit at best.

We should have seen the Under cash in Game 1, but a late empty-net goal by Fast flipped the total to an Over.

The Under is 4-2 in the last 6 games overall for the Devils, while cashing in 2 of the last 3 outings for the Hurricanes despite the Game 1 near-miss.